Fox Developing ‘Silver Surfer’ Solo Film as Disney Merger Waits

While Disney’s $52B bid to purchase Fox Studios awaits governmental approval, industry insiders have indicated that it’s “business as usual” at Fox with the studio moving ahead with several Marvel projects. Chief among them are a previously unannounced Silver Surfer solo flick being developed by comic book writer Brian K. Vaughn.

The studio is reportedly moving “100 miles per hour” on the Silver Surfer movie while they continue to develop several other projects such as Noah Hawley’s Doctor Doom, Drew Goddard’s X-Force, Brian Michael Bendis and Tim Miller’s 143 (believed to be a Kitty Pryde solo film), the Channing Tatum-vehicle Gambit and James Franco’s Multiple Man. While fandom waits for the day that Marvel Studios Kevin Feige can introduce the X-Men and Fantastic Four into the MCU, a Fox insider tells THR that the studio has “way more in development and production in Marvel IP than at any point in the history of the studio. There’s been zero slowdown on that front given Disney.”

At this point it certainly seems likely that at least some of these films will be made before the Disney deal, making it difficult to determine what direction Feige and Marvel Studios will go once they have complete control of the live action rights.